NASCAR: 3 Cup drivers Ty Gibbs could replace

It should only be a matter of time before Ty Gibbs joins the NASCAR Cup Series. But with limited Toyota seats available, who would he replace?

Ty Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, took the NASCAR Xfinity Series by storm in 2021, winning on his debut at the Daytona International Speedway road course and going on to win three more races as a part-time driver.

Had he been playoff eligible, he would have been a championship contender. While Joe Gibbs Racing’s three full-time drivers combined for a single win the entire season, Gibbs won four times in 18 starts.

He received a promotion to full-time driver for 2022, and his success has continued with five wins in his first 25 starts. A promotion to the Cup Series appears to be a matter of when, not if. But with Toyota having limited seats available at the sport’s top level, who might he replace?

A promotion may or may not come in 2023, but here are three possibilities at some point down the road.

Ty Gibbs replacement candidates: No. 1 – Kurt Busch

Ty Gibbs replacing Kurt Busch at the Joe Gibbs Racing-affiliated 23XI Racing would make a lot of sense. He has already had the chance to drive the #45 Toyota, filling in for Busch since his qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway left him with concussion-like symptoms back in July.

So while Joe Gibbs had said that he would like Ty to spend two full seasons in the Xfinity Series before a Cup Series promotion, a case can be made that the 19-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native has the experience necessary to make the jump sooner.

Busch is under contract through 2023, but some believe that he could decide to hang up his helmet and move to a new role at 23XI Racing, given his recent health concerns.

Ty moving to the #45 Toyota full-time would also give him the opportunity to experience the Cup Series before presumably making the jump to his grandfather’s four-car operation at some point shortly thereafter.

Among active drivers, Busch led the Cup Series in starts prior to his injury, and he has been in the Cup Series for the longest, having made his debut in the 2000 season. The 2022 season is his 22nd season as a full-time driver.

Busch has, on multiple occasions, hinted that retirement may be around the corner. The 44-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native has made very clear that he will be satisfied with his career whenever it concludes, and he most recently dropped another hint just days before his crash.

But what if Gibbs goes straight to Joe Gibbs Racing, as it appears he will?